Teacup transfer-printed in blue underglaze in a pattern known as Ontario Lake Scenery.

History

This ironstone teacup was manufactured in England by Joseph Heath and may have been imported to Milwaukee by crockery dealer Franklin J. Blair. According to the owner, the cup was unearthed near Jefferson and Mason Streets in downtown Milwaukee in the 1970s, suggesting the Blair association. Born in Blandford, Massachusetts in 1815, Blair came to Wisconsin in 1843 from Cleveland, Ohio and established a ceramics and glassware shop on Milwaukee's Water Street. In 1856, he entered a business partnership with his shop clerk, Edmond Reed Persons (1828-1910) of Vermont. The Pioneer History of Milwaukee (1876) describes the firm of Blair and Persons as "one of the soundest, as well as one of the most popular establishments of the kind in the Northwest. They ship directly from Europe, both of them having in turn visited England and France in a business capacity."

Sources

James S. Buck, Pioneer History of Milwaukee v. 2 (Milwaukee News Co., 1876), pp. 1858-59; Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Genealogy Index: Death Record Entry for Milwaukee County, v. 15, p. 10 (accessed February 21, 2011): http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords An image of the Blair and Persons shop at 534 North Water Street is available from the Milwaukee Historic Photos collection, Milwaukee Public Library (accessed February 21, 2011): http://content.mpl.org/u?/HstoricPho,3883

Owner

Private Collection

Rights

The artifact illustrated here is privately owned. Images of and information about the artifact are made available by the Wisconsin Historical Society for educational purposes. The images and information may be viewed, downloaded and printed by individuals for personal use, research or teaching purposes, or other "fair use" as defined by U.S. copyright law. All other uses are strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the Wisconsin Historical Society. For more information, see http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/copyright.asp